Police use pepper spray to disperse Downtown protesters

Columbus police used pepper spray to disperse a couple of hundred protesters who were blocking a major Downtown intersection Monday night.

The protesters were remnants of a group of more than 2,000 who held a peaceful gathering earlier in the night at the Statehouse. Opposition to President Donald Trump appeared to be the main reason for the protest.

Chanting "Our Street" and anti-Trump slogans, the smaller group spilled onto South High and State streets about 8:45 p.m., blocking the intersection.

More than 20 police cruisers responded, and the bicycle patrol also was deployed.

When the protesters saw that officers had their gas masks on and were preparing to push them north down High Street, they chanted "Shame."

The crowd quickly dispersed, however, when police deployed the pepper spray at 9:05 p.m. — after instructions to get out of the street were ignored.

Small groups of a couple dozen protesters remained at Third and State streets and at Broad and High streets after moving from State and High, but they were standing on sidewalks and not blocking traffic. Police were continuing to move them out of the Downtown area, and there were no arrests as of 9:30 p.m.

>>Video | Police use pepper spray on protesters at State and High streets Monday night

Meanwhile, several ambulances were dispatched to the area to treat a handful of people for symptoms from the spray. Most units were not needed and returned to service.

The original rally had been organized by the Columbus chapter of a group known as Socialist Alternative. It was billed as a multi-cause rally to resist President Donald Trump, oppose his border-wall proposal and stand against his policies on immigration.

People carrying signs also voiced their displeasure about other issues, such as Trump's executive order reviving the Keystone pipeline. Protesters also spoke in favor of women's rights.

jwoods@dispatch.com

@woodsnight

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